Description
Penstemon ‘Osprey’
OSPREY BEARDTONGUE
Large pink lips. white throats 1m.
Sun-1/2 Shade
HARDY & EASY
Growing:
– Height with flowers: 100cm. approx.
– Width: 65cm approx.
– Position: Full Sun to Part Shade, or places where you get sunlight for at least 5 hours a day.
– Soil: Well drained soil. Will not tolerate wet soils over winter. Actually do and flower better in soils that are not too rich. Tolerant of poorer, gravel and sandy soils.
– Fragrance: None
– Frost: Very hardy to at least -10C and below.
– Growth: Evergreen perennial.
– Beneficial for wildlife: Native honey-eating birds, bees, butterflies and other useful pollinators, revel in collecting nectar and pollen from the trumpet flowers.
– Care: Easy care & low maintenance. Prune older stems that have finished flowering hard, at the end of winter, to encourage fresh, repeat flowering new stems to come from the base.
– Deer & Rabbit resistant: Usually not first choice for these pests.
– Origin: Native to North America, where they grow in a range of habitats, but often in prairie environments.
– Traditional uses: The North American Indians knew a thing or two about Penstemons, as Penstemons were such common plants in their natural world. First nations peoples used them in daily life. The woody roots were used as a cure for toothache, for pain relief, and treatment to stop bleeding. While blue flowered varieties were used for making blue dye for painting moccasins and leather clothing.
